Amidst the storm of Libor rigging $5bn fines, admissions of incredible levels of manipulation and deceit - other than Raheem Sterling's destructive agent - new record highs on US markets and extreme losses in Hong Kong ($20bn wiped out in a matter of hours), once more this year a stampede of green-fingered flower lovers descend upon London's Chelsea Flower Show to admire a multitude of nature's extravagant colourful creations. How different a scene from the one unfolding a short NetJet hop south in Cannes...there a crowd of camera-lens loving socialites, with little else to do than admire their own self-proclaimed natural "beauty", shamelessly hogging the limelight from the true stars of the Cannes Film Festival - the actors! The modern "celebrity-gram" once again hijacking any remaining semblance of glamour in the art world. Soon we shall be expecting a Kardashian inspired "buxom garden" - actually now that I think about it...
Rumours of an upcoming Uber IPO only the latest in a series of increasingly eye-watering tech successes. The tears originating from both joy at the advancement of convenience and development, alongside an apparent suspension of all logical valuation calculations. Tech really is a wonderful thing. Even Saudi Arabia has admitted it may well no longer use fossil-fuels itself by 2050 (a little unrealistic) instead becoming a net-exporter of solar and wind energy. Smart and efficient technology would surely make this possible, if indeed there was political and industry coalescence. Fat chance. Let the barrels continue their roll.
Tech is both scary and wondrous. Emphasised in a modern classic Sci-Fi story translated into a fantastic big-screen experience - a wonderfully rare and extremely welcome event, near-perfectly conveyed in the awesome visual and mental experience of Alex Garland's thought-provoking narrative of a sensually cunning female "robot" named Ava: Ex-Machina (Great Gatsby brought to the screen by a let's-get-loud Aussie this is not). Not only are questions raised on the very core of our humanity during this most voyeuristic of experiences, entire new possible industries throw themselves up for imagination.
Tesla is building the world's largest battery factory - storing energy efficiently is the final frontier to renewable technologies. You really think that's about charging your 0-60mph in 3secs space-machine car? Nope..try powering your entire home and all its gadgets of the future. Entirely off the grid. The biggest and juiciest gadget that we will have looks set to be an AI "assistant". Siri and Cortana already lurk on our handheld devices, stationary and relatively inept but still smart enough to begin understanding what we want, when we want it and most importantly perhaps..what we might want that we haven't even thought of yet.
Does this mean we are controlling the machine or will the machine be "suggesting" what we should be controlling? Spooky I know. Now imagine Siri in a fully manoeuvrable humanoid form. Not only able to suggest nearby Chinese take-aways, actually able to pop out and grab your food for you. Think about the incredible new "Ex-Machinomics" that will evolve from such an industry. There will be endless add-ons and purchases savvy, if not slightly morally decrepit, programmers will surely innovate. Shoulder to cry on?..done. Friend to laugh at your jokes?..hahaha..at your service. Need a sexual experience?..rent it (and feel it) in either SD or HD for 24hrs. Entire new industries will leap from once sidelined extravagant hobbies, to mainstream services with the almost limitless leisure time people will find on their hands, allowing the Machines to do most of their work.
Creating sophisticated and expensive machinery to do little more than further our own slovenly nature and selfishly increase our perceived enjoyment of leisure time? Doesn't seem right does it?..but hey..if maximising lethargy for personal elation worked for the Greeks..the Romans..oh..where are they now? There is plenty about the human ego we will never truly understand. If a former Qatari official, that became a multi-billionaire spending his nation's gas wealth, can and does buy a record price setting Picasso ($180m) which he will likely never display due to its "offensive nudity" (does he still stare at it alone in his Batman-like cave you think?), there can be little surprise when man eventually switches on the holy-grail of AI programming to serve as little more than a personal supermodel escort. I worry though...there may not be enough carbon fibre and graphene from which mass production of "PA-bots" can be constructed if the trend if still for Kardashian like backsides! At least we'll still continue to enjoy the purest form of effeminate beauty that mother nature so gloriously provides every spring. Smell those roses while you can.
Rumours of an upcoming Uber IPO only the latest in a series of increasingly eye-watering tech successes. The tears originating from both joy at the advancement of convenience and development, alongside an apparent suspension of all logical valuation calculations. Tech really is a wonderful thing. Even Saudi Arabia has admitted it may well no longer use fossil-fuels itself by 2050 (a little unrealistic) instead becoming a net-exporter of solar and wind energy. Smart and efficient technology would surely make this possible, if indeed there was political and industry coalescence. Fat chance. Let the barrels continue their roll.
Tech is both scary and wondrous. Emphasised in a modern classic Sci-Fi story translated into a fantastic big-screen experience - a wonderfully rare and extremely welcome event, near-perfectly conveyed in the awesome visual and mental experience of Alex Garland's thought-provoking narrative of a sensually cunning female "robot" named Ava: Ex-Machina (Great Gatsby brought to the screen by a let's-get-loud Aussie this is not). Not only are questions raised on the very core of our humanity during this most voyeuristic of experiences, entire new possible industries throw themselves up for imagination.
Tesla is building the world's largest battery factory - storing energy efficiently is the final frontier to renewable technologies. You really think that's about charging your 0-60mph in 3secs space-machine car? Nope..try powering your entire home and all its gadgets of the future. Entirely off the grid. The biggest and juiciest gadget that we will have looks set to be an AI "assistant". Siri and Cortana already lurk on our handheld devices, stationary and relatively inept but still smart enough to begin understanding what we want, when we want it and most importantly perhaps..what we might want that we haven't even thought of yet.
Does this mean we are controlling the machine or will the machine be "suggesting" what we should be controlling? Spooky I know. Now imagine Siri in a fully manoeuvrable humanoid form. Not only able to suggest nearby Chinese take-aways, actually able to pop out and grab your food for you. Think about the incredible new "Ex-Machinomics" that will evolve from such an industry. There will be endless add-ons and purchases savvy, if not slightly morally decrepit, programmers will surely innovate. Shoulder to cry on?..done. Friend to laugh at your jokes?..hahaha..at your service. Need a sexual experience?..rent it (and feel it) in either SD or HD for 24hrs. Entire new industries will leap from once sidelined extravagant hobbies, to mainstream services with the almost limitless leisure time people will find on their hands, allowing the Machines to do most of their work.
Creating sophisticated and expensive machinery to do little more than further our own slovenly nature and selfishly increase our perceived enjoyment of leisure time? Doesn't seem right does it?..but hey..if maximising lethargy for personal elation worked for the Greeks..the Romans..oh..where are they now? There is plenty about the human ego we will never truly understand. If a former Qatari official, that became a multi-billionaire spending his nation's gas wealth, can and does buy a record price setting Picasso ($180m) which he will likely never display due to its "offensive nudity" (does he still stare at it alone in his Batman-like cave you think?), there can be little surprise when man eventually switches on the holy-grail of AI programming to serve as little more than a personal supermodel escort. I worry though...there may not be enough carbon fibre and graphene from which mass production of "PA-bots" can be constructed if the trend if still for Kardashian like backsides! At least we'll still continue to enjoy the purest form of effeminate beauty that mother nature so gloriously provides every spring. Smell those roses while you can.
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